The Revelations in the Past
by perscribo
Summary: Sequel to "The Couple in the Wilderness." B&B try for another baby while in the midst of solving a case that forces Brennan to confront a part of her past she tried to forget. Chapter 13 up! The last chapter to this story. Do B&B get what they were hoping for?
1. Chapter 1

**_I had the first few chapters of this story up some time ago, almost immediately after completing "The Couple in the Wilderness" but I got side-tracked, in a good way, by the Post Bones fic challenges. I've decided to forgo this week's challenge and start posting this story instead. In the show, Brennan had come to terms with her parents abandoning her and made peace with Max. However, we didn't really get much info about her life in foster care other than that scene from "Mayhem on the Cross." This is my attempt to try to explore a little more of this._**

 ** _This story can be read on its own but it's meant to be a sequel to "The Couple in the Wilderness"._**

It had been two months since their "little adventure in the wild", as Booth liked to call it. He had recovered from his injuries and had been reinstated to active field duty for about a week now. Cam was still away on her sabbatical with Arastoo thus Hodgins was still literally 'King of the Lab'. Taking up the role and running the medico-legal lab involved a lot more administrative work than he had anticipated. Juggling both paperwork and actual lab work was challenging, especially for someone with his personality. As a result, he had required Brennan's help in some aspects, especially in areas he disliked, like managing the budget. The Jeffersonian's help had not been called upon to solve any murder since the accident and she could devote her time to the numbers that Hodgins needed help justifying.

It was such an evening when she was engrossed with the numbers on the screen of her laptop when she heard her favorite voice.

"Hiya Bones, ready to go?"

Brennan looked up, frowning at her husband. "Is it time to go already?"

Booth looked at his watch as he walked into her office and took the seat opposite her. "Yeah it's six-thirty."

"Balancing accounts are more arduous than I had anticipated." Brennan sighed and continued looking at her screen.

Booth smiled to himself. After all this time together, he still found her cute when she was squinting at things.

"Well, we should go. The numbers can wait. I'm planning to cook ravioli." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"It's obvious that you're eager to romance me with dinner in an attempt to entice me to make love with you tonight. Especially since you've recently been cleared by your doctor to resume sexual intercourse."

"You've got that right babe!" Booth clapped his hands together and stood up. "Last night and this morning were hardly enough to make up for the two months I had to wait."

Brennan knew that she would be fighting a losing battle and he wasn't going to let her finish what she wanted. They still had to address the issue that she had brought up while they were lost in the woods. He seemed to have had conveniently forgotten about it, having "bagged his sniper" both times since they had resumed intercourse. She wondered if his head injury made him forget. She made a mental note to find an opportune time to bring it up.

"Bones, come on." His voice took on a whiny tone. Brennan reflected that even though he was attempting to annoy her, he still looked decidedly cute with his chiselled jaw set in a small pout.

"Fine. It's no wonder Hank whines when he doesn't get his way."

"Hey you can't blame everything he does on me!" Booth feigned annoyance as he helped Brennan into her coat, taking the chance to sneak in a light slap to her butt.

She turned, tugging at his tie and pulling him to her for a passionate kiss. At that moment, she was glad that when the lab was rebuilt, for safety reasons, the walls of her office were no longer made of glass. This afforded her the much needed privacy she didn't previously have. Booth's moan into her mouth seemed to reverberate through her as his fingertips ghosted the hem of her blouse, attempting to make contact with her skin.

"Booth!" She broke the kiss. "I thought we were going home?"

"Hey you started it." Booth replied, his lips upturned in a mischievous smile. It was as if he could read her thoughts, "Besides, whoever decided to replace the walls of your office with an actual wall instead of glass is genius! We should definitely take advantage of it and christen you brand new office, doncha think?"

Brennan laughed. "What happened to making ravioli?"

"I don't need ravioli to romance my wife since she seems to be in the mood now. We can be quick." Booth kissed her again, his hands firmly planted on her hips as he backed her towards the couch in her office. The back of her knees hit the couch and the couple tumbled onto it. He felt her hands tugging at his shirt, freeing it from the confines of his pants. Her lips brushed his neck as he slipped a hand under her blouse moving it sensually up her side, savouring the feel of her skin when his cellphone rang.

Booth groaned in annoyance. He chose to ignore the ringing, pressing warm kisses to Brennan's neck.

"It could be Georgia." Brennan said, pushing Booth off her. Georgia, the babysitter for the Booth children was also a grad student who had found the world of babysitting more lucrative than the business world. Given that Angela was currently incubating her Catherine Temperance, although Hodgins still insisted they were having a boy, Georgia was a welcome source of childcare for Brennan and Booth. She was funny and smart and had a way with children. The kids had taken to her quickly, much to their parents' relief.

Booth groaned again, adjusting his now very tight pants as he fished his ringing phone out of his jacket pocket. "Booth." He growled into the phone, not bothering to mask his frustration.

It wasn't the babysitter and he shook his head slightly at Brennan. "Okay, text me the location."

He sighed as he ended the call. "I don't suppose I could convince you that we only need ten minutes to help me with my big problem here." He pointed to his groin.

"While I know we can have intercourse in ten minutes, it would be less satisfying. You wouldn't want me unsatisfied, do you? And you know I don't like my remains compromised."

"Okay. Hold that thought and maybe, just maybe, we can get home at a decent hour to finish what we started here."

Brennan smiled as she took Booth's hand, allowing him to help her up from the couch. She smoothed her hair back into place then moved her fingers to wipe a lipstick smear off Booth's neck. "I'll suit up and you can call Georgia." She gave Booth a quick peck on the cheek, "And try not to be grumpy at the crime scene."

"I'm already grumpy."

… …

Booth had the sirens on and they got to the crime scene faster than necessary in Brennan's opinion. The crime scene happened to be a local landfill, the smell and flies doing nothing to alleviate Booth's foul mood.

"This is our first case back since the accident. I thought you would be more enthusiastic Booth." Brennan said as her husband held up the crime scene tape to allow her under.

"Careful Bones." He said taking her hand as they made their way down the pile of garbage.

"I'm more enthusiastic about spending quality time with my wife." Booth grumbled. "And I just got these shoes polished!"

The couple reached the bottom and Brennan could now see a set of skeletal remains covered in garbage. Hodgins was already there, along with Dr Steven Hayes, the coroner who was temporarily filling in for Cam.

"Hey Dr B. Are we getting an intern to help back at the lab?" Hodgins asked.

"Yes. I usually do if we want the case to be solved in a timely fashion. Of course, with Aubrey partnering Booth in the field more often now, I suppose I could stay in the lab – "

"Great! Then I won't have to worry about paying any intern."

"Hey Bug Boy! That would mean Bones would have to work overtime, which also means I won't get any time with my wife and that would make me really unhappy."

"Because your happiness is top on my list of priorities."

Booth glared angrily at Hodgins.

"Hey I would rather be home with my pregnant wife and son too!"

"Guys!" Brennan was annoyed. She knew historically women enjoyed being fought over, but in this instance, she didn't like being the source of their quarrel. "We'll do a quick assessment here and I'll have the remains brought back to the lab. I can decide there if I need the help of an intern. Is that acceptable?"

"That means you're not gonna be home tonight."

"Just tonight."

"I'm really not getting any tonight." Booth mumbled under his breath.

"While I know you've missed engaging in inter – "

"Bones!"

Hodgins snickered and Dr Hayes tugged at his shirt uncomfortably.

"Don't you have a body to look at?" Booth gestured at the remains with one hand while reaching for his pen, ready to jot down information onto his index cards.

"The skull is fractured but I can't determine now if it's post or peri-mortem."

"Could be just the tonnes of garbage piled on top of it. This body's been here for at least a month." Hodgins held up a beetle in his palm, before putting it into a container.

"I wanna talk to the guy who runs this place." Booth nodded to the Metro PD officer standing nearby.

"Booth?" Brennan called to him, a look of concern on her face.

"Yeah?"

"It's definitely murder. The C5 vertebrae is broken, it's unlikely a fall from the top of this pile of garbage would have caused the extent of this injury. It's not that steep a slope."

"So, this was a body dump."

"Pelvic inlet indicates a young female who has never given birth." She fingered the exposed teeth in the jaw. "This is a young female between the ages of thirteen and sixteen."

"A kid?"

"Yes. Someone broke this girl's neck and moved her body here to be disposed of."

"Oh man! As if she was a piece of junk." Hodgins remarked.

"Great!" Booth threw his hands up in the air, his grumpiness turning to anger at the person who did this. "Who would do such a thing to a kid?!" He hated cases where their victims were young. He knew Brennan hated them too.

Brennan didn't answer, knowing Booth's question was meant to be rhetorical. She reminded herself that she should not get attached to victims. Hodgins wheeled himself a short distance away, as if trying to regain his composure. Being parents themselves, these cases always got to them. The pressure was now on to find the killer.

 ** _So, what does everyone think about what I've got so far? Oh yes, since Wendell was my fave intern, and they wrote him off to do something else, anyone have any suggestions on which intern Brennan should call for this case?_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thanks for your intern suggestions. There was no overwhelming name that kept popping up but I think I have decided who it would be._**

 ** _My usual shout outs: kareneb,_** ** _MstgSzy, topaz270 (lol, I think we all would like a ride on that train. You must remember unlike us, Brennan gets him every day so…), Poppyblue5_** ** _,_** ** _bookwormlady, 554Laura, LoveShipper, pauchacottle (no idea what happened to Finn, it wasn't addressed in the show), gatewatcher, GalaxieGurl, zulis Rosales, mendenbar,_** ** _Monique Sampson,_** ** _rightfromthebeginning (I don't think Cam would be making an appearance in this story), Gailuvspurple and all anonymous reviewers._**

 ** _The number of reviews were a lot though and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart._**

 ** _In case you were wondering, this story would be kept at T._**

After gathering what evidence and information they could from the crime scene, the team decided to call it a night. It was late, or rather early in the morning and everyone was tired. Tempers were frayed and everyone agreed more would be accomplished after they had managed to get some rest. Hodgins would return in the morning with some FBI techs to the landfill to look for more evidence and Brennan could examine the remains in the lab with the equipment she needed.

It was close to two in the morning when Brennan and Booth got home. The remains were being transported back to the Jeffersonian and Hodgins had agreed that Brennan could call in an intern. The knowledge that a young life had been taken weighed heavily on everyone's mind. Booth placed a call to Parker, as he customarily did when the cases they worked involved a child, just to ensure that his eldest son was okay. After double-checking that the doors to the house were locked, Booth checked on Christine and Hank in their bedrooms before crawling wearily into bed where Brennan was waiting.

"Parker okay?"

"Yeah, he's good."

"Kids?"

"Both sleeping soundly."

Booth seemed to have lost the mood for sex and Brennan didn't want to press the issue. He reached for her in the dark and the couple turned to face each other. His eyes adjusted to the low light and with his fingers, he traced the outline of her face, from her forehead down to her chin.

"You're beautiful, you know that?"

She offered him a shy smile. "You tell me that all the time."

"After all this time, you still take my breath away. Sometimes when you're at the lab, studying your bones or talkin' to some intern or at home, reading to the kids… I just stand there and watch and I kinda forget to breathe. How did I get so lucky?"

"You're feeling sentimental."

"Maybe."

"I love you too Booth."

Brennan placed her palm over his bare chest as her eyes feasted on his body. The scar on his chest reminded her of the times when she almost lost him, and her heart seized momentarily. She chose to focus on something else, driving the dark thoughts from her mind. He still had an excellent physique and she knew he worked hard to maintain it, partially for her benefit. She found almost every part of him arousing but since the case with the exploding Santa when she had to undress him in the lab, she had been particularly attracted to his broad shoulders. Perhaps it was because she associated the width of his shoulders to the security they implied. She brushed the psychological babble in her head aside, deciding that now was as good a time as any to bring things up. She was sure the current case would keep them busy and she concluded that she might not have another chance to broach the subject in private.

"Remember what I said, when we spent the night in the woods?"

Booth tried to remember. He had a nagging suspicion as to what she was about to say but wanted to hear it from her mouth. "I don't have an elephant's memory like you do, so remind me?"

"I told you I wanted another baby with you."

"Right." He blew out a breath. "You sure about this?"

"Yes. I told you the reason why."

"I know. In case something happens to us, our kids would have one more person to depend on."

"You are correct."

Booth knew his wife was fiercely competitive. "You sure this isn't about being competitive with Angela?"

"No. Angela is my best friend and I'm very happy she's having another child with Hodgins. The old me might have been competitive beyond reason, but I've changed."

Booth smiled. She had changed. "This isn't about losing your Dad? Or even the kid in our current case."

"I stated my reason Booth."

"You're sure? I mean we're both not getting any younger."

"I am aware that an older maternal age at conception poses certain risks but I'm in excellent health. I didn't have any trouble when I was pregnant with Christine and Hank, so there should be little reason to be concerned. If you're worried I could get a health check, to ensure I'm still in good health to get pregnant again."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure you can handle being pregnant again. I think I can handle it too." Booth chuckled softly, remembering the first time she was pregnant with Christine. It was new and scary then but now he had the wisdom of two Brennan-pregnancies under his belt. What's more, he loved her and he would do anything for her. If she wanted another baby with him then he was more than happy to oblige. But he wanted to be doubly sure.

"You don't mind all the sleepless nights, the dirty diapers, not to mention another mouth to feed."

"I always weigh the pros and cons before I make any important decision Booth. I even have a list on my desk. Would you like to see it?" Brennan moved to get out of bed.

"No! No. I believe you." He grabbed her hand before she could get out of bed.

"Don't you want another baby with me?" Brennan's voice sounded a little insecure.

"You kiddin' me? Of course I wanna have another kid with you. I'm Catholic, I grew up thinking I'd have a house full of kids some day and you're helping me fulfil my dream. Plus, I love the baby-making process so no complaints from me. I just - having a kid is a big deal and I want to be sure you're absolutely sure."

"I was the one who brought this up so of course I'm sure. Besides we didn't plan on Christine or Hank and I can't imagine our lives without them."

Booth smiled. He would go to the moon and back for her if she asked him to. How could he possibly deny her this request?

"Okay. Watch out world! We're bringing another Booth into this world."

"You said 'world' twice." Brennan laughed.

"Some part of me still thinks this is a dream. I mean when we started working together, you didn't believe in marriage, didn't want any kids. Now we're trying for our third kid. Who would've thought huh?"

"Yes. Back then, this is something I would never have thought could happen."

"So, you gotta stop your pills and I gotta stop bagging my sniper."

"I've actually not taken any oral contraceptives since the accident."

Booth raised his eyebrows.

"You weren't allowed to have intercourse with me until recently so I didn't think that would have had much consequence. I would definitely have discussed this with you first. I would never have attempted to conceive without your agreement."

"Considering how awesome my stuff are and how accurate my sniper is, we could have already made a baby."

"Yes, there's a remote possibility, despite having used a condom. Your sperm have always been very motile."

"Right? I have awesome stuff which are sniper trained and can hit the target all the time."

Brennan rolled her eyes, already regretting that she had fed his already big ego when it came to his sexual prowess and virility. The prospect of her already being pregnant was undeniably exciting but she didn't want to get overly optimistic about it.

"I've calculated, I should be ovulating about now. But we can never be too sure."

"We should make sure." His voice heavy with want.

"We should." Brennan breathed as she ran her hands down his chest to his muscled abdomen, eliciting a hiss from him.

Their discussion and the thought of another baby had lightened Booth's mood. He moved to capture her lips as he rolled himself on top of her. She tilted her head back, allowing him to press hot kisses to her neck. She released a deep-throated moan as he got to a spot he knew drove her crazy. He loved that sound and endeavoured to hear more of it. His busy hands caressed the swell of her breasts and curves of her body as he settled himself between her welcoming thighs. Their current case had been temporarily relegated to the deep recesses of his mind. He was going to love this baby-making business.

 ** _I hope this chapter put a smile on everybody's face. The next chapter would change focus to the case at hand._**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thank yous away:_** ** _GalaxieGurl, 554Laura, LoveShipper, FaithinBones, pauchacottle, kareneb_** ** _,_** ** _gatewatcher._**

Morning came and the couple busied themselves with making breakfast and getting the kids ready for school and daycare. Watching Booth with their two children, Brennan was reminded of the fact that Booth was an excellent father. She couldn't have chosen a better mate to bear her progeny with.

Booth was in a buoyant mood. He was sure that if he hadn't already gotten Brennan pregnant, he surely did the night before and his mind was already thinking of how he could embark on another building project to add another room to the house for their unborn child.

When he arrived at the Hoover that morning, his mood started to sour as his focus shifted to their current case. His mood took a turn for the worse when he received a call from Brennan.

"Our victim is a fourteen-year-old female."

"Do we have an ID?" Booth asked. He couldn't imagine what the girl's parents were going through with their daughter missing for a month or more.

"Angela is working on facial reconstruction as we speak."

"You okay?"

"You mean about the case?"

"Yeah."

"I can't imagine what her parents are going through." She echoed Booth's thoughts. "If it was Christine – " he detected a tinge of sadness and anxiety in her voice.

"Whoa, stop right there. We talked about this before. We don't think about things like that. Christine, Hank and Parker are all gonna be fine."

"You're right." She sighed.

"Not to mention that little baby inside you."

"Booth we don't know for sure that I'm pregnant." Brennan whispered.

"I'm pretty sure I got you pregnant last night Bones."

Brennan smiled to herself. Although he rarely wore his cocky belt buckle since they got married, it didn't mean he was any less cocky.

"I'll get Aubrey to go through missing persons reports in the past couple of months. See if anybody fits our victim." He was all professional again. It was a rapid switch they had mastered to near perfection after their many years of partnership.

"I'll call you when we have a positive ID."

It was lunchtime when Booth appeared at the Jeffersonian with a cup of soup and a salad from the diner. He also had a few files for Brennan to look at. He found her examining the remains from their current case. The skeleton laid out on the table reminded him again of the girl's parents. His heart ached but he quickly pushed it aside.

"What no intern?"

Brennan looked up, placing the metacarpal in her hand back onto the light table. "I sent Miss Warren to Dr Hodgins to obtain updates."

"Your intern for the case is Jessica. Right. Good thing I didn't send Aubrey here with these files."

"I'm sure they can remain strictly professional even after their break up."

"Yeah with time, but things are probably kinda raw for them right now." He handed the bag of food to Brennan. "Lunch."

"Thanks."

Booth nodded towards the skeleton. "So, anything new?"

"So far other than the fractured C5, there're no other obvious injuries that could have contributed to her demise. Although the skeleton does show instances of remodelling. Some from two years ago and some more recent. The left radius and seventh and eighth ribs in particular, not too different from injuries you sustained as a child."

Brennan bit her lip. Allowing the information to sink in for Booth.

"You're saying her old man beat her?" Booth's face was set in an angry scowl.

"It's a possibility. We can't be absolutely certain until we know who she is and speak with her parents."

Booth blew out a breath.

Brennan snapped of her latex gloves. Taking his hand in hers, she squeezed gently, offering him support. "You had something to show me?"

"Right." Booth squeezed her hand in return, conveying his gratitude and also to assure her he was okay with the new information. He handed her the bag containing lunch. "Food for you and…" he turned his head towards the doorway, making sure they were still alone…" baby."

Brennan rolled her eyes but indulged him. "I told you we can't be sure yet. Fertilisation could have taken place last night but we won't know if implantation in my uterus was successful until – "

"Whoa! Too squinty! I'm sure we made a baby."

"Yes I'm quite certain myself but – "

"Yeah yeah, you need evidence." Booth teased. "Speaking of evidence, I've got three missing girls here that meet our vic's profile. Girls aged fourteen to eighteen, reported missing in the past couple of months. Won't hurt for you to take a look while we're still waiting for an ID."

"Good idea." Brennan studied the photographs of the teenage girls reported missing in the files Booth had handed to her. It occurred to her that somewhere out there, there was someone missing each of the girls in those files. Her years of experience allowed her to conclude that none of the missing girls in the files matched the victim in their case.

The couple walked back to Brennan's office, food and files in hand, they settled down on her couch.

"I'm sorry none of these girls' faces match the skull of our victim Booth." Brennan said as she took a sip from the cup of hot soup.

"It was worth a shot." Booth stood. "I'd better get back to the office."

"Call me when you have an ID?"

"Hey guys," Angela walked in. "I've got a match for my facial reconstruction. It's a good thing you're here too Booth."

"Saved me another trip here later?"

"Something like that. Why don't you two come to my office?"

Booth and Brennan followed Angela back to her office. There was a photograph of a teenaged girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes. Even though it was a photograph, the first thing that struck Booth was the sadness that was reflected in those soulful eyes.

"This is Lindsey Sutton. Fourteen. Her parents died in a car accident two years ago. Her grandmother took her in for a year before dying from a heart attack. She's been in the foster system about a year now."

Angela paused, glad that Booth was there when she shared the news with Brennan. She noticed Booth looking quickly from the screen to Brennan. He closed the distance between himself and Brennan, taking her hand in his, squeezing gently, mirroring the gesture she did for him earlier.

"We'll need to confirm the ID with dental records." Brennan stated, allowing her hand to linger a moment in his before slipping it out of his grasp.

"Dr Hayes is obtaining it now. He should have them for us by tomorrow at the latest." Angela replied.

Booth was torn between wanting to make sure Brennan was alright and wanting to go back to the Hoover to locate the victim's foster family. He wondered why she had not been reported missing. Coupled with what Brennan had said about possible abuse, his gut told him there was a strong possibility that the foster father was a suspect, guilty even. He bit his lower lip, keeping that gut feeling to himself. He knew if he had said it out loud, Brennan would shut him down by saying that they lacked sufficient evidence to draw a conclusion. He worried that the case would remind Brennan too much of her time in foster care and she would draw parallels. Brennan's face seemed an unreadable mask but Booth could read beyond that. He could tell that the victim's situation was getting to her.

"I'm hungry." Angela announced as she rubbed her pregnant belly. "I'm gonna get a snack." She gave Booth a meaningful look as she left her office. Booth nodded his thanks turned to face Brennan.

"Listen Bones – "

"I have to get back to work." Brennan cut him off.

"I'm sure you do Bones, but you're allowed to be human. You told me last night you've changed. If you like perhaps Clark could look into this. You could just advise, you know, take a back seat in the case?"

"I want to find the person who did this to her. You'd help me do that, won't you?"

"Yeah of course."

"Good. Then you'll let me get back to work."

"Right. Okay." Booth could feel the walls start to build around Brennan. It was her reflex defence mechanism, he knew that. He hoped she wouldn't push him away. Other than the little Brennan had shared with him and Sweets years ago, Booth knew very little about the years when Brennan was a teenager in foster care. She didn't like to talk about it and he never wanted to press the issue least he opened up old wounds. He had concluded that he should let sleeping dogs lie. What happened in the past did not seem to affect her anymore and they had built a happy life together. He hadn't expected that she would be forced to revisit the issue now. He decided the best thing to do then was to give her the space she needed. He would broach the subject at a later time.

"I'll head back to my office." He started out the door but turned back. "Bones, don't forget your lunch."

… …

When Brennan got home that evening, her two children eagerly greeted her at the door. Christine wanted to show her mother art work from school and Hank who had simply missed his mother, wanted hugs and kisses.

Booth watched as Brennan lifted Hank onto her hip, and admired Christine's work. He noticed the smile on her face and was heartened that she seemed to be in a good mood. Brennan made her way to the kitchen with both children where Booth was making dinner.

"Smells good." She greeted him.

"Dinner's almost done. Why don't you go spend some time with the kids before we eat?"

"I'd like that." Booth knew that their children were always the balm for a bad day at work.

Other than Hank spilling his juice, dinner went by uneventfully. Booth continued to keep his distance from Brennan, giving her time with their children. She joined him in the kitchen after the kids were tucked in.

He pushed the coconut ice cream sundae, complete with whipped cream and a cherry on top, towards her as she took a seat at the counter. She quirked her eyebrow at him. He usually had a glass of wine ready for her.

"No alcohol cos of the little baby inside." He answered the question she did not verbalise.

"Although we don't know for certain yet, I think it is wise to err on the side of caution." She agreed.

Booth watched as she ate several spoonfuls of ice cream, simply content to watch his wife enjoy his ice cream creation. He decided that this was going to be the rare instance when he had to throw out the 'no work at home' rule. "You guys get the dental records?"

"Yes. The dentals match. Our victim is indeed Lindsey Sutton." Brennan replied.

"I spoke with DCFS. Her case worker and foster parents are coming in tomorrow morning. Aubrey and I will speak with them." He didn't ask if she would like to be present. He would leave that decision to her.

As if she heard the question in his mind, she replied, "I'd like to be there."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Why?"

"This case must be hard on you Bones." His eyes met hers as he tried to read what was going through her mind.

Brennan dropped her gaze to the counter top. "We don't know the entire story yet. We should not assume."

"I just hate when you have to be reminded of the time when your parents abandoned you."

"I dislike it too. However, I have come to accept that they had no other choice. Besides, this is just work Booth. I'm okay. Don't worry." Brennan leaned over the counter to give him a quick peck on the lips.

Booth wasn't entirely convinced and there was still a smidgen of worry in the pit of his stomach. The smidge of worry became full blown when he was woken up in the middle of the night by Brennan's soft whimpers. He couldn't make out what she was mumbling in her sleep and he didn't want to wake her, so he pulled her into his arms, holding her until the whimpers subsided.

 ** _A longer chapter with lots of information this time. So what did everyone think?_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_My heartfelt thanks to everyone who reviewed. That includes:_** ** _GalaxieGurl, 50 Shades Of Booth, 554Laura, LoveShipper_** ** _,_** ** _pauchacottle,_** ** _jsboneslover,_** ** _Monique Sampson, FaithinBones, mendenbar, geraghtyvl, Poppyblue5_**

The next morning in the conference room at the Hoover Building, Brennan, Booth and Aubrey met with the victim's case worker Heather Nichols and her foster parents, Frank and Tina Devon. The couple looked visibly upset.

After a round of introductions, Booth got straight to the point, asking the question that had been plaguing him since he found out the identity of their young victim. "So why didn't you guys report Lindsey missing?"

"We thought she'd run away." Frank answered. "It wouldn't have been the first time."

"She's run away before?" Aubrey asked.

"Yes. Twice." Tina replied this time. "The first time Ms Nichols brought her back, the second time she came back on her own."

"And do you know why she'd run away?"

Booth allowed Aubrey to lead on the questions, choosing instead to watch and observe the foster parents, while also keeping an eye on Brennan. His gut still told him that the foster father was the most likely suspect.

"She didn't want to tell us why. We mostly take in the older kids, they tend to be… troubled. It takes time for us to form a bond, if they allow us to. Lindsey only came to us three months ago from another foster family. She liked to keep to herself."

From the corner of his eye, Booth saw Brennan fold her arms across her chest. She was offended by what Tina had said.

"She's been gone for a month and you didn't think to inform Ms Nichols?"

"We figured she'd come back."

"Maybe she didn't want to." Brennan cool voice cut through the air.

"We didn't ill-treat her if that's what you're implying." Frank quickly replied. "I know some foster parents got a bad rep but we're not like that. We take in kids that couldn't get along with other foster families. Ask Ms Nichols."

"Mr and Mrs Devon have been foster parents for a long time. They have taken in many kids, we have not received any complaints. Other than Lindsey, they have another foster daughter with them now." The case worker verified Frank's account.

"Lindsey's remains show remodelled fractures. They were recent." Brennan's statement asked for an explanation to her findings.

"Lindsey loved to skate. You can check her hospital records. She loved doing these crazy stunts. We tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen. The first time she ran away, it was because we took away her skateboard."

"Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt Lindsey?" Booth directed the question at Tina.

"She seemed to be doing okay in school. She didn't have that many friends other than those kids from the skate park."

"Right, I'd like you to pass the names of the those kids to Agent Aubrey and if you could tell us the location of the skate park, that would be most helpful."

"Lindsey didn't talk to us much, let alone tell us what the names of her friends are. I can tell you where the park is but if you want to know more about her friends, you might have better luck talking to Alex."

"Alex? Her boyfriend?" Aubrey asked.

"Alexis is the other girl the Devon's are fostering. She prefers to be called Alex." The case worker replied.

"I'd like to speak with Alex." Booth nodded at Heather.

"She has a different case worker but I can see to it that it is arranged."

"Right thank you."

"It says here that you're a drive a semi Mr Devon." Aubrey asked looking up from the open file infront of him. He too seemed to suspect the foster father.

"Yes because of work, I'm not home for weeks sometimes. It's not easy on Tina, but she does a good job with the kids we foster and I help out when I can."

"You don't have any kids of your own?"

"We tried but couldn't. We have so much love to go around, fostering troubled kids it's our way of sharing the love." Tina replied.

Booth cringed mentally. He didn't get a good vibe from Tina but he couldn't quite pinpoint the reason.

"If you could tell us where Lindsey liked to skate?"

"Yes of course." Tina Devon rattled off a location which Aubrey jotted down, allowing Booth to gather his thoughts. He decided he would get a better read on the situation at the Devon home after he had spoken to the other foster daughter. He decided they had learned what they needed for now.

"Mr and Mrs Devon thank you for coming in. We'll be in touch." Booth ended the interview as he stood up.

"You'll let us know once you find out what happened to Lindsey?"

"Yes, we'll do that."

Booth slid the doors of the conference room shut as Frank, Tina and Heather left. He turned back to Aubrey and Brennan.

"So Bones, the skateboarding story. Possible?"

"Yes certainly."

"Or they could've just used skateboarding as an excuse for physically abusing her?" Booth asked.

"It's possible. I'll need to compare the hospital records to the remodelling on the bones to be sure."

"I didn't get the vibe that the foster parents were lying." Aubrey said.

"Me too. They seemed sincere enough. Although my gut says Tina Devon is hiding something." Booth shared his doubt. "The case worker mentioned they have another girl with them. I think we'll know more after we talk to her."

Aubrey jumped to his feet. "In the meantime, I'll head to the skatepark after I grab some lunch. I'll take some photos of the place, maybe it can further help you check their skateboarding injury story."

"That would be very helpful." Brennan replied. "Angela could scan the photographs in and postulate scenarios for her falls and perhaps we can determine if she was killed at the skatepark."

Watching the exchange between Brennan and Aubrey, Booth was once again torn between wanting to go with his partner to a potential crime scene and making sure Brennan was okay. The three left the conference room.

"Listen Aubrey, text me the location of the skatepark will ya? I might meet you there later."

"Not coming to lunch with me?" Aubrey questioned, then glanced at Booth then Brennan. It dawned on him that the couple might want some time alone, given the case they were investigating.

"I guess not. I'll see you later Booth." Aubrey made a hasty exit, leaving the couple alone.

"Bones. Lunch?" Booth asked as they entered his office. "You gotta eat."

"I know Booth. I'm just not that hungry. I find that I'm anxious to return to the lab to see if the remains corroborate with Frank Devon's story."

"Okay I'll bring you somethin' to eat later."

"Okay." Brennan didn't argue and for that Booth was grateful.

It was past two in the afternoon when Booth found his wife in her office at the Jeffersonian. He had brought her a vege sandwich this time.

"Ready to eat?"

Brennan looked up from her desk and offered him a small smile. "Yes I think I am."

"I'm like your food delivery guy."

"Haven't you been all these years?

Booth laughed, taking the chair opposite her. "I guess I have."

"Any luck with Lindsey's friends at the skate park?"

"None of them knew much about her, which isn't surprising since she just moved to the area. Most of them didn't know she was a foster kid. It seemed like all they did was just skate together. I got the feeling one of the boys seemed interested in her but didn't want the other kids to know. Aubrey's gonna try bringing him in. Maybe he'll open up when his friends aren't around."

Booth watched as Brennan took several bites from her sandwich, before changing the subject. "How're you feeling?"

"Dr Hayes obtained our victim's medical records. Along with the injuries on the remains, they're consistent with multiple falls from high velocity. Not the kind of trauma you'd see from being struck with any object."

"The foster father was telling the truth." Booth let it slide that she had evaded his question.

"So we currently have no suspects?"

"I'm still waiting to speak with the foster sister. And the boy from the skate park."

"We still haven't found the victim's cell phone."

"Yeah you would think a teenage girl would be inseparable from her cell phone."

"The landfill covers an extensive area, Dr Hodgins and the FBI techs would need several days to cover all that area."

"I've asked the case worker to bring in Lindsey's laptop for Angela, maybe we can get somethin' off social media."

"She had a laptop?"

"Yeah her grandmother got her one before she died."

Booth was silent, contemplating the case. It dawned on him that they had temporarily hit a dead end, while waiting for other team members to complete various tasks. He knew he also had to address his worry for her and how the case was affecting her. He also wanted to lighten her mood. Sex wasn't the solution but he hoped some time alone would allow her to share her feelings with him.

"Bones wanna play hooky with me?" He flashed her his best charm smile.

"I have never played truant before."

"You kiddn' me Bones? I used to do it all the time in High School."

"I'm not certain – "

"Come on, it'll be fun, first time for everything! Besides you've been helping Hodgins with crunching the numbers. He won't mind if you took the afternoon off."

A small smile spread across Brennan's face. "It does sound rebelliously fun."

"You bet it is. Who better to play hookey with for the first time than the love of your life huh?"

Brennan's smile widened. "I'll call Georgia to pick the kids and keep them with her till dinner."

 ** _Reviews please :)_**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Thank you to everyone who reviewed._** ** _Kareneb (yup the previous chapter had to be case heavy to move the story along), GalaxieGurl_** ** _(agree, I couldn't stand any job where you have to watch children suffer),_** ** _50 Shades Of Booth, FaithinBones_** ** _,_** ** _554Laura, LoveShipper._**

 ** _This chapter is all B &B. Enjoy!_**

Booth was barely through the front door of their house when Brennan launched herself into his arms.

"Good thing I caught you." Booth laughed, a mischievous grin on his face, as his lips met her's.

The couple separated long enough for Booth to shrug off his jacket and pull off his tie. Brennan pulled off her jacket and undid the buttons of her blouse just as Booth toed off his shoes, pulling off his stripy socks. Her fingers deftly reached for his belt buckle, slipping his belt off effortlessly. His large, warm hands slipped under her now open blouse, circling her waist and traveling up her shoulders to help remove her blouse. Brennan moaned at the feel of his calloused hands on her smooth skin. Undergarments were just as quickly discarded and soon they were naked in front of each other, both taking a moment to feast their eyes on their spouse.

Brennan licked her lips involuntarily and Booth didn't mind that she was eyeing him like he was dinner and she had not eaten for days. Her ogling fed his ego that was growing along with some other part of his anatomy.

"Page 187?" Booth growled. "I know how much you enjoy it."

"Yes." Her voice breathy with desire. "If I'm pregnant, I'll soon be too big so we should attempt page 187 while we still can."

Spurred on by her words, Booth closed the distance between them, crushing his lips to hers as their tongues clashed in a familiar yet scintillating duel. The bedroom seemed too far away and she pulled him onto the couch but not before he quickly grabbed a cushion, making sure her head had a soft place to rest.

Page 187 called for specific acrobatics, an ounce of creativity and a lot of passion but despite that Booth managed to pour out his love and care for her as they made love. Afterword, Brennan lay on top on Booth, sated in post-coital bliss. Booth pulled the throw blanket that was draped over the couch, covering their naked bodies as they tried to steady their breathing. He marvelled at the fact that after so many years with her, every time together still felt like their first.

He vocalised his thoughts. "Wow… I can't believe how it always feels as amazing as the first time we made love… _even_ after we've been married for all this time."

"Sex is a lot like any sport one would engage in. The more time and effort spent in practicing a sport, the better one becomes at it. Experience counts too, of course."

"Like wine. I get better as I age?"

Brennan laughed and Booth was glad that he had achieved his goal of taking her mind off the seriousness of their current case.

The couple lay on the couch, their breathing now seemingly synchronised, both content to be in each other's arms. It wasn't the fact that they just had sex, but the intimacy of their relationship that allowed their time alone together to help ground and center them in the midst of an emotionally difficult case.

"I love you." Booth whispered.

"I love you too." Brennan pressed a kiss to his chest, over his heart.

"Bones listen. We need to talk."

"About?"

"About you. This case. I know it's getting to you."

"I assure you, it's not."

"You had a nightmare last night. You were crying… in your sleep."

Brennan was silent for a long while before she spoke. "I don't recall that particular dream so I'm unsure as to why I was crying. If I was."

"You were Bones. We've shared a bed for years now okay? I know when you're having a nightmare."

"Are you accusing me of lying?" Brennan lifted her head in annoyance to glare at Booth.

"What? No." The last thing he wanted was to upset her. "Look I believe you alright? I mean people forget their dreams all the time."

He didn't add that it was easy to forget a dream but harder to forget a nightmare.

"Maybe my subconscious mind made me remember my time in foster care." Brennan admitted in a small voice.

"You don't talk much about that time, when you were in foster care, but I know it wasn't all fun and games."

Brennan was silent and he rubbed soothing circles on her bare back, trying to give her some measure of comfort.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"I'd rather not Booth. I've not found a good reason to re-visit memories from that time."

"Not even this case we're working? I mean, it might help to talk to me about it."

"I'd rather not at this juncture."

"Come on Bones, you gotta. You can't keep it all buried inside. It isn't healthy. It might just all burst out when you don't want it to. Look you can trust me okay?"

"I do trust you Booth!" Brennan seemed to take offense and she pushed herself off him, sitting up on the couch, wrapping the throw around herself. She hated when he made it an issue of trust. There was no one else she trusted more implicitly.

Booth sighed as he sat up beside her. He had managed to upset her. "Okay. Okay. Let's just forget I asked. It's gettin' kinda chilly here, with us being naked and all."

Brennan stood up. "Then you should put some clothes on. I'm going to take a quick shower then head back to the lab. Perhaps I can make some progress on the case."

He watched as she padded down the hallway, the throw still wrapped round her shoulders. The throw blanket round her shoulders reminded him of a lonely superhero. He had learned from past experience that he should not push her when she wasn't ready and that she would come to him when she was. He had wanted to add that going back to the lab would be contrary to the spirit of playing hooky but he knew she would not be in the mood for his humor. However, he didn't want their afternoon to end on that sullen note. It wasn't how he had envisioned their afternoon to turn out.

"Bones." He quickly pulled on his boxers then hurried to catch up to her.

She turned to face him and his heart ached for the girl that was locked for two days in the trunk of a car by her foster parents. In that instant, he swore to himself that if he ever found out who her foster parents were, he would make them pay.

"I'm here for you okay? Whatever you need. Remember, you're not alone anymore."

Brennan offered him a slight smile and allowed him to pull her into his embrace.

"Put some clothes on before you catch a cold Booth." Brennan said as they broke the hug. As she continued down the hallway, entering their bedroom, she called out, "I'll be home late tonight. Don't wait up."


	6. Chapter 6

**_My heartfelt thanks to all who took the time to review, both anonymous or otherwise._** ** _Kareneb, topaz270_** ** _,_** ** _GalaxieGurl, FaithinBones, pauchacottle, 554Laura, 50 Shades Of Booth, LoveShipper, jsboneslover,_** ** _Monique Sampson._** ** _And to everyone who added this story to your alerts, and follows and favorited it, thank you!_**

It was late into the night and Booth decided that he had given Brennan enough time and space. The knowledge that she could be carrying his child meant that his inbuilt instincts to protect her had automatically been kicked into overdrive. He didn't care if she got mad at him, it was his job as husband and father to make sure she was safe. He pulled on his black leather jacket over the Flyers tee he was wearing and grabbed the keys to the SUV. He knew exactly where to find her.

As Booth walked into the Jeffersonian, he had a sudden flashback of finding Brennan lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood that fateful night years ago. His protect-Brennan-O-meter blared its alarms in his head and his heart raced. He quickened his steps in his search for her through the lab. He found her studying Lindsey's remains. He breathed a sigh of relief, she was safe. He chose to engage in one of his favorite activities, watching his beautiful wife at work. He remembered when Max died and she had shut him out. Her choice to confide in Sully instead of him had stung, but he took comfort in the fact that at least she had someone to talk to. He hoped that this time, he would be her choice of confidant.

After some time, Brennan seemed to realise she was being watched and turned her head towards the door.

"Hey." His voice though soft seemed strangely amplified in the quiet of the empty lab.

"Hi."

He detected no animosity in the tone of her voice and hazarded a few steps towards her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"It's kinda late, a little past midnight. I was worried."

"The kids?" The mother in her wondering who was home with her children if Booth was there with her.

"I told Aubrey he could crash in Parker's room tonight. The kids were fast asleep when I left so I don't think they'd notice that we're both gone. Besides, they love Uncle Aubrey."

Brennan nodded, indicating she had no objection to Aubrey staying over to babysit their kids. "Miss Warren found bone bruising in a regular pattern, equally spaced. It's indicative of a fall, very likely down a flight of stairs."

"And this bruising, it occurred recently?"

"Yes. A long flight of stairs, or a fall from a shorter flight at a certain angle or at the right velocity could have caused the fracture to the C5 vertebrae that caused her death."

"Stairs. Right. Any idea where?"

"Somewhere she frequents would be a good place to start. But the skate park could have obstacles similar to stairs."

"There was a short flight of stairs at the skate park for them to skate over. It wasn't high, maybe three or four steps."

"Angela could use the photos Aubrey took of the skate park and determine if that was where she fell."

"Her school and maybe her home might be a better bet. We can get a warrant to search the foster parent's house. But I'd like to speak with her foster sister first to get a feel of what things are like at home."

Brennan nodded. She stared at the set of remains on her light table. Booth moved to stand beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. She rested her head his broad shoulder. The couple stood staring at the bones in companionable silence for a minute or two before Brennan spoke.

"She had a normal, happy life before her parents' accident. That one accident changed everything for her. The past few years of her life were difficult, and her life didn't end on a good note either. I want to find justice for her."

"So do I Bones. And we will."

"She must have been lonely in foster care. That feeling of abandonment. I know what it felt like."

She seemed to be opening up to him, like he had hoped. Booth tightened his grip round her waist as she continued. "I don't wish to shut you out Booth. But those are memories I'd rather not revisit. We've built such a happy life together, I find no pleasure in remembering that time."

Booth turned, placing a hand on her shoulders, he gently turned her so that he was looking straight into the depths of her blue eyes.

"I get it Bones. It's kinda' like opening up an old wound that's nicely healed over. You don't wanna open it up again cos it'll hurt. For me, it's my old man and for you, it's your time in foster care. If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. As long as you don't let it get to you."

"I won't let it."

"But if it does, you gotta tell me okay?"

"Okay."

"Listen, I'm never ever leaving you. You'll never be alone again. Remember that. You don't have to be lonely anymore."

"I know. And I'll never leave you too."

Booth offered her a smile. "Let's go home, before Aubrey empties our fridge."

… …

Brennan was silent for most of the ride home. She knew Booth meant her no harm in his insistence that she open up to him. She was grateful that he seemed to understand and wasn't pushing her to bring up a past that she buried so many years ago. As she looked out the car window into the almost empty streets she allowed herself to reflect. She remembered what she told Booth in the lab.

"Remember what I said in the lab, about Lindsey?"

"About her being lonely?"

"No. About how one accident changed everything for her."

"You're remembering our accident two months ago."

"Yes. Add to that the fact that we both have dangerous jobs and -"

Not wanting to think of unpleasant outcomes, he cut her off. "Look Bones like I said, our kids are going to be fine. So are we."

"It wouldn't be foolish to plan for their care if we are both to meet our demise. Max is gone and they would likely be left with your mother or Russ."

"Whom they hardly know." Booth was beginning to figure out where their conversation was going.

"I know you don't want to think about it but there's a possibility they might end up with someone who might not be in the best position to care for them or worse, in foster care."

"Yeah I see what you mean."

"Aubrey and Angela."

"What?"

"I would like it to be put into my will that if both of us were to meet with an untimely demise at the same time then Hank and Christine should live with either Aubrey or Angela and Hodgins, or a combination thereof. Although Agent Aubrey is currently single, our kids love him and he's great with them. He wouldn't have to worry about money, since I've made it clear in my will that my wealth and possessions would go to you in the event of my death and if you're dead too then it would go to our children and Parker."

Booth smiled. It shouldn't have amazed him that she had planned for her wealth to be split with Parker as well. She continued her thinking out loud.

"Having a married couple as adoptive parents would provide our children with more stability hence Angela and Hodgins are also a good choice. Our children are familiar with them and get along with Michael-Vincent. However, I do not want to burden Angela with more children since she already has two of her own. But I trust that between the three of them, they can come to an agreement that would be in the best interests of our children."

"I don't like thinking about our kids growing up without us."

"Me too. But we should plan lest the unthinkable happens."

Booth sighed. She had a point.

"Right yeah. Aubrey and Angela. They're good choices. I mean Angela, she can be a little wild but okay she loves them."

"We are in agreement then."

"We should ask them first, before you put that in your already very long will."

"Of course. It would not be fair to surprise them with a responsibility as big as this."

 ** _What does everyone think of Brennan's decision? I wasn't sure if it would be a little OOC._**

 ** _Oh and not forgetting, a Happy 4_** ** _th_** ** _of July in advance to all who are celebrating Independence Day!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_I almost didn't have time to post this chapter. I'm swamped with work! Thank yous as usual to those who reviewed and added me to their faves and follows. Thank you especially to:_** ** _kareneb_** ** _,_** ** _FaithinBones, 554Laura, GalaxieGurl, Brennanite2 (we'll get there eventually)_** ** _,_** ** _LoveShipper,_** ** _Monique Sampson,_** ** _50 Shades Of Booth, mendenbar, nourseholly_** ****

Aubrey was on the couch, watching a muted TV show while chewing on a grilled cheese sandwich when Brennan and Booth walked in the front door. Empty food wrappers and bags of eaten snacks provided ample evidence that he had indeed helped himself to the food and beverage available in the fridge.

"How'd you find my stash of beef jerky?" Booth asked annoyed as he held up the now empty packet.

"It wasn't that hard. It was hidden with your stash of potato chips and chocolates. Beef jerky goes well with Dr Brennan's avocado dip by the way."

Booth felt a little nauseated by the thought.

"You're replenishing my stash."

"Yeah of course, I'm not a freeloader."

"Booth and I have a favor to ask you." Brennan got straight to the point.

Aubrey somewhat shocked by the seriousness in her voice stopped mid-chew. He stood up, looking from Brennan to Booth. "Is it something bad?"

"No." Booth held out his hand, indicating that Aubrey should stop talking and listen. "Just… listen to what Bones has to say."

"It occurred to me that if Booth and I were to meet with an untimely demise simultaneously, Hank and Christine might be put into foster care."

"Is this about the case?"

"Aubrey let her finish."

"After careful consideration, Booth and I have come to an agreement that rather than have our children in possibly end up in foster care, we would like them to come under your care. I realise that it is unfair to expect a bachelor like yourself to bring up two small children on your own so I would also be asking Angela if she is agreeable to this responsibility as well. It might be difficult for Hodgins and her to raise four children, hence my suggestion on joint custody between yourself and Angela. I would leave it up to the both of you to decide on our children's living arrangements and how they would be jointly cared for. My only condition is that Hank and Christine must never be separated. I'm fairly certain Anglea and Hodgins would agree to my request but I am uncertain as to your response."

Aubrey downed his sandwich with a gulp of beer. "I'm honored. I'm kinda like their Godfather or something."

"Yeah something." Booth added, a little taken aback by Aubrey's enthusiasm.

"Wow! Yeah of course."

"Look Aubrey, don't let it get it to your head, it's not a big deal okay? I'm not planning on dying anytime soon. And neither is Bones."

Aubrey threw his arms around Brennan. "I'm really honoured Dr Brennan. I would do my best to bring up Hank and Christine to be outstanding citizens like their parents. I promise."

"Hey like I said, we're still here." Booth was now getting annoyed.

"Good. After I've obtained Angela's consent, I'll see to it that this is added to my will." Brennan said as Aubrey released her from his hug.

Aubrey moved to hug Booth but Booth held out his hand, shaking his head. "No hugs Aubrey. Are you drunk or something?" He turned to Brennan. "Maybe we should ask him again tomorrow. I don't think he's sober."

"I'm insulted you'd think I'd be so careless. I'm babysitting your kids Booth. I wouldn't dare get drunk on this watch."

"Oh and other than Hank and Christine, this applies to any other children Booth and I might have."

"Other children?" Aubrey eyed Booth suspiciously. "Oh, I get it! There's another mini-Booth on the way."

He broke into a smile then patted Booth on the back. "Congratulations man!"

"Bones!" Booth glared at his wife.

"He has a right to know Booth, especially in light of what we just asked of him."

"Look Aubrey, we aren't even sure yet okay?"

"Booth and I are trying for another child."

"Wow okay, so I'm lovin' this. You're both so open to sharing personal information with me tonight."

"Don't get used to it. And the tryin' for a baby thing, it's just between us okay?"

"I get it. You don't want to jinx anything."

"Just- keep a lid on it alright? And when we're sure and ready to tell everyone you'll know."

"Yeah yeah sure."

Booth reached for Brennan, who took his hand. "We're going to bed." As he started to lead Brennan to the bedroom, he gestured to the array of food packages and empty cans on the coffee table.

"Make sure this mess is cleaned up, I don't wanna see any of this when I wake up in the morning."

That night Booth was again woken by his wife's nightmares. She whimpered in her sleep again and this time he thought he could make out the words _Let me out!_ Booth's heart broke as he held her to him, wondering how he could make the nightmares stop.

… …

The realisation that her children could end up in the foster system upon her demise spurred Brennan on. As a mother, she had no wish that her children experience what she had and she found it odd that this epiphany did not strike her earlier when she first had Christine. The next morning, Brennan found Angela in her office working on the victim's laptop. She wanted to make sure that what was decided would be put into her will as soon as possible.

"For a teenage girl, Lindsey wasn't as active on social media as you would expect." Angela remarked as Brennan walked in.

"I have something to ask of you."

Brennan choosing to ignore the case made Angela concerned. "Okay."

"Booth and I have decided that Hank and Christine should come live with you, Hodgins and Aubrey in whatever arrangement you see fit, should we come to an untimely demise."

"Okay?" Angela knew Brennan well enough to know that she should give her best friend time to explain her thoughts.

"This case had made me realise that because of the nature of our jobs, Booth and I could very well be killed in the line of duty or we could meet with an accident like Lindsey's parents. If it should happen, my children could go into foster care."

"Sweetie, you know that would never happen. I hate to think of a world without you and Booth and if it did happen, the both of you have enough friends who love you to make sure Hank and Christine are well looked-after."

"So you're saying yes? I'd like to make it official. Put it into my will."

"Yes of course." Angela pulled Brennan in for a hug. "This case is really getting to you huh?"

Brennan took in a breath. Booth had taught her that people asking about how she was feeling meant that people cared for her. But at the moment she didn't want to repeat what she had said to Booth the night before.

"I know you're concerned for me Ange. Booth is too. I'm okay. This case simply highlighted something I overlooked in planning my children's future. Also, Booth and I are trying for another child."

Angela's jaw dropped before she broke out into a wide smile, a small squeal escaping her lips. She pulled Brennan to her for yet another hug.

"I thought it would be fair to inform you considering the request I just made."

"If you and Booth had a dozen kids I'd still take them all in."

"A dozen would be quite impossible since I might be past my reproductive years before I can have another ten children."

Angela laughed at her best friend. Some people found it annoying but to her, being literal was one of Brennan's more endearing traits.

"So you're pregnant?"

"Given Booth's virility, I could be. But I'm not sure yet."

"But you'll tell me if you are."

"Yes. Although Booth wishes that we keep the fact that we're trying a secret for now."

"My lips are sealed."

"Thank you."

"And anytime you need to talk? I'm here."

"I know. Thank you Angela." Brennan offered her a smile. "Any progress?" Personal matters settled, she was once again anxious to find Lindsey Sutton's killer.

"Lindsey spent a lot of time online with one of the boys she met at the skate park. A boy by the name of Darren Colson."

"Aubrey's bringing him in for questioning."

"Other than that, I don't see anything that might have gotten her killed. Other things on her laptop are mostly homework. She also has a folder with pictures of her parents and her time with her grandmother." Angle flashed them on the screen and the mood in her office grew sombre as the two friends stared at photos of happier times from the victim's past. It was a chilling reminder of how things could change in the blink of an eye. Lindsey looked so happy with her parents and grandmother.

"Poor thing." Angela remarked. "She had a loving family before she ended up in foster care. It's so sad that her life was just ended like that. She didn't even get to grow up and try to make a better life for herself."

"We'll find out who did this to her." Brennan replied, her voice filled with determination.

 ** _Had to give Aubrey and Angela some air time. I know this chapter's kind of slow going but things will pick up next chapter._**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Thank you list:_** ** _topaz270_** ** _(I can't remember if I said this before but I think Aubrey was a better written and more likable character than Sweets, though yeah Sweets didn't deserve to go the way he did),_** ** _kareneb_** ** _,_** ** _FaithinBones_** ** _,_** ** _LoveShipper_** ** _,_** ** _mendenbar, 50 Shades Of Booth_** ** _,_** ** _jsboneslover (thanks for the suggestion, but currently as how this fic goes, doesn't seem to be turning out like that though),_** ** _Monique Sampson,_** ** _Poppyblue5_** ** _. Also to everyone who had reviewed anonymously or read and added this story to your alerts, many thanks as well._**

It had been two weeks since Lindsey Sutton's body had been found at the landfill. Booth was in his office mulling over the events of the case. Although Brennan's nightmares seemed to have stopped, he knew that other than her opening up to him, the only way to prevent them from recurring was to catch Lindsey's killer. However, progress on the case was slower than he would have liked.

Aubrey walked into his office, taking the seat opposite Booth's desk. He threw a file onto the table, the flying folder barely missing Bobblehead Bobby.

"So how'd it go?" Booth asked, knowing that Aubrey had just concluded his interview with Darren Colson the boy from the skate park who had seemed to have taken an interest in Lindsey.

"Darren said he liked Lindsey but she died before he could work up the courage to ask her out. He said she enjoyed skating with the group but never talked about herself, let alone tell anyone else that she was a foster kid. She had though, confided in him alone that she was living with foster parents and that was all she was willing to reveal. Kid seemed shook up enough when he heard that she had been murdered. I think it's safe to say he doesn't have anything to do with Lindsey's death."

"Bones is sure cause of death is from a fall from some height, like stairs or something. I'm still waiting to talk to the foster sister. Her case worker is busy hunting down another foster kid who's run off and I can't question her without the case worker present." Booth blew out a breath in frustration as he slumped back in his chair. "My gut still tells me there's something off about Tina Devon, the foster Mom."

"You think she did it?"

"Can't rule out Frank Devon too."

"Both foster parents were in town at the time of death." Aubrey pointed out. "You think Caroline can get us a warrant to search the house?"

"We don't have probable cause. Hodgins still hasn't found Lindsey's cellphone. He figures he needs another day or two to cover the area."

"Maybe her cellphone wasn't with her when she died."

"She's a teenage girl, her cellphone is probably glued to her hand." Booth paused. He remembered when Brennan revealed the fact that her foster parents had locked her in the trunk of a car. "I wanna talk to Frank Devon."

"I'll bring him in."

… …

That afternoon Brennan's body surprised her with a sign she had not expected. She took her time in the bathroom to compose herself and attempt to come to terms with her disappointment. Logically, she knew that their chances of conceiving lessened with age but they never had any trouble before. Considering that both Christine and Hank were conceived without any prior planning, the irony that the one time she had intended to get pregnant but yet couldn't, was not lost on her. She was still disappointed as she left the bathroom and all she wanted to do was tell Booth.

Booth was about to leave his office to speak with Frank Devon when he got a call from Brennan.

"Hey Bones."

"I'm not pregnant."

"What?"

"My period came."

"Okay." His voice barely masking his disappointment. He had been certain she was pregnant and since they had agreed on another child he had allowed himself to start thinking of what it would be like with three little kids in the house and how they would break the news to Christine, Hank and Parker. If he was disappointed, he was sure she was too. "Listen, we can keep trying."

"I know. I was certain I was ovulating when we had sex. And even if I wasn't we had sex numerous times since we decided to have another child."

Picking up on the dejected tone in her voice, he sought to comfort her. "Look, these things happen alright? I mean we aren't giving up, right?"

"Of course not."

The thought of more sex with his wife made him feel a tad better and he hoped it would lighten her mood too.

"I've got Frank Devon waiting in the interrogation room. We'll talk later tonight okay?"

"Okay."

Her voice sounded small and he wanted to be right next to her at that very moment. Given that he had a suspect waiting for him, all he could do then was to remind her of his love for her. "I love you Bones."

"I love you too Booth."

As he hung up, Booth took a deep breath before entering the interrogation room. He pushed his disappointment aside, there would be time to speak with Brennan later. Now he had to focus on his job. As he entered, Aubrey and Frank were already seated there.

"Sorry." He mumbled to Aubrey before focusing his attention on Frank.

"Mr Devon, thanks for coming in."

"Sure, anything to find out who killed Lindsey."

"I understand you were in town the night Lindsey disappeared."

"Yes, I had just returned from a road trip the day before."

"Did Lindsey seem different before she disappeared?" Aubrey asked.

"She kept to herself a lot. Other than meal times she was either at school or the skate park. Like I said, Tina and Alex spent more time with her. There was the one time she needed some tools to fix her skateboard wheel. I helped her with it and she started to open up a little to me. Said her Grandmother didn't like her skating too cos she worried it was too dangerous."

"It must be tough on you and Tina. Taking in troubled kids." Booth suggested.

"They're not trouble, they've just been dealt a tough hand in life. Most of them come round. They aren't bad kids."

"Lindsey and Alex they ever get you mad? Cos kids need discipline right?" Booth was hoping Frank would let something slip. "I mean, I've got three of my own and they can be a handful. Sometimes I can't get my teenage son to do what I want. It's like he thinks he knows better than me. Teenagers right?"

"Yes. But love and discipline go hand in hand. Lindsey needed to be corrected, more than Alex. Alex is a good kid, gets good grades. But Lindsey she talked back, had a temper."

"Must've needed to nip that in the bud huh?"

"They're teenagers. They act up."

"Doesn't make it right."

"And we let them know that. Nothing too harsh. Sending them to their room, taking away their phone privileges stuff like that. What's this about?" Frank seemed to be catching on that the two agents suspected him of wrongdoing.

"Taking away a teenager's phone must've felt like it was a death sentence to the girls." Aubrey suggested. "Must've made them mad."

"We didn't do that often. It's not like they always gave us cause to."

Booth remembered that they had yet to find Lindsey's phone. "Did you guys take Lindsey's phone before she disappeared?"

"No. Like I said, the kids we took in, some had been in more trouble than others. Lindsey had been bounced from two foster homes before she came to us. When she first came she was rude and refused to help with the chores or do anything we asked of her. Kept sneaking out. At the start, we might have punished her more. She needed to know that there were certain rules she had to follow if she was going to continue to live with us."

At the word "punished", Booth bristled. An image of a teenaged Brennan, scared and abandoned in the trunk of a car flashed in his mind. He hated the people who did that to her. She didn't deserve to be treated like that.

"I'm gonna cut to the chase here alright Frank?" Booth stood up. His mood had been foul before the interrogation started. He was a big man and he knew how to use his physique to his advantage. He leaned forward, looming over Frank.

"You aso said the kids you take in are troubled and need discipline. Punishment." Booth rounded the table to stand next to Frank, slamming his palms on the table, the sudden aggression causing Frank to jump. "Maybe it was your wife's idea to foster those girls. You don't really like them but you decided to go along to make your wife happy. But teenagers they can be trouble."

He brought his face within inches of Frank's, growling, "Maybe Lindsey got out of hand, you warned her, but she wouldn't listen. Maybe you thought she needed more discipline. Maybe you did something to teach her a lesson and ended up killing her."

"What?! No, I would never hurt those girls. I swear." Frank looked duly scared.

"Really? Cos I think you would." Booth pointed a finger at Frank's chest, as if trying to scare Frank into a confession.

Aubrey cleared his throat. "Agent Booth?"

Booth straightened himself, still towering over the suspect. He smoothed his tie and glared menacingly at Frank before taking his seat again. At that moment, he couldn't clearly discern if his anger was directed at Frank Devon, Brennan's previous foster parents or himself for the fact that his wife was now hurting and he couldn't be with her.

Frank looked shaken by Booth's accusation and hostility. "I swear I didn't do anything to Lindsey." He looked from Booth to Aubrey. "Do I need a lawyer?"

"I don't know. Do you?" Booth retorted.

"What Agent Booth means is that we're looking into everyone in Lindsey's life to help us solve her murder. We appreciate you coming in today. If we need any more information, I'll let you know."

"Don't leave town." Booth warned.

Frank nodded. His exit from the interrogation room was hurried and he kept his distance from Booth.

"What was that about?" Aubrey asked, turning to his partner.

"What?" Booth feigned ignorance.

"Come on Booth. You lost it."

"You've seen me _lose it_ before. That was nothin' like it."

"Okay so that was a mild version of you losing it."

"I just wanna catch a killer." Booth said as he stood up. "I thought he might confess."

"Everything okay with you and Dr Brennan?"

"We're just fine."

"You're only like that when it comes to your family." Aubrey stood, looking his partner in the eyes. He knew he was probably risking getting yelled at, but his friendship with Booth was more important than his ego. He had worked with Booth long enough to know when the senior agent was bothered by something at home.

Booth sighed. He hated sharing his personal life but this was Aubrey. "Look… between you and me, Bones just told me she's not pregnant okay?" He held back the fact about Brennan's past abuse when she was in the foster system. "She's upset. I guess so am I."

"You guys can try again."

"I know but Bones doesn't like failing."

"You wanna take some time off and – "

"And what?" Booth snapped. "Look I appreciate your concern but let's just focus on the case alright? I still need to talk to Alex the foster sister. Get that arranged."

 ** _Ok so I know you guys are gonna flood me with reviews after this chapter but this story ain't over yet. Not by a long shot._**


	9. Chapter 9

**_To all those faithfully reading and waiting for my updates on this story a HUGE thank you. Review honor list:_** ** _Brennanite2, GalaxieGurl (thanks for your kind words, agreed, wish we had Aubrey earlier on, I find menacing Booth rather hot), 554Laura (intense Booth is hot too!),_** ** _kareneb (you're on to something *wink*), 50 Shades Of Booth, LoveShipper (agree), mendenbar (glad you guys finally "got it right", I think Booth does appreciate Aubrey but he's not the kind to let it show), FaithinBones, jsboneslover (I think they will too), and others who reviewed as guests._**

Brennan didn't get home till late that night. She found Booth waiting up for her, a glass of scotch in hand. He handed the glass to her as she took a seat next to him on the couch.

"No reason to hold the alcohol now, right?"

"Right." Brennan replied as she took a sip.

"Kinda late."

"I needed to help Hodgins with some numbers."

Booth nodded, unsure if that was just an excuse.

"How did the interrogation go?"

"I don't think the foster father did it. Maybe the foster mother. My gut says she's holding back on something."

"I heard you got mad at Frank Devon."

"What?!" Booth frowned. "I'm gonna kill Aubrey."

"He called to offer encouragement since I'm not pregnant. He didn't intentionally call about you."

"Right. I'm sorry Bones, I shouldn't have told him."

"That's okay. Aubrey is a good friend."

"I kept thinking about you and us and how you were disappointed about not being pregnant. I wanted to be there for you today. For some reason, the image of you locked in the trunk of a car kept coming to me and I just – maybe I kinda projected my anger onto him."

"This case is affecting you too."

"Only because I hate to think of you in pain or upset. If I ever get my hands on your foster parents… "

"I have no desire to meet them again. But I'm not as adverse to the thought of you being protective over me at this very moment as I normally would."

Booth chuckled as he wrapped an arm round her shoulders, pulling her impossibly closer to him. "You're probably getting used to it. It's useless to resist you know."

Brennan rested her head on his shoulder, savoring the feeling of their physical closeness. The couple were silent for a moment, before Booth asked, "You okay? About not being pregnant?"

"I'm very disappointed. And I'm also rather sad about it."

"Me too. But we're not giving up."

"Don't worry Booth, I had the day to come to terms with the fact. We were overconfident."

"What in my abilities?" Booth seemed offended. "Hey I bet if we tried again, you'll be pregnant by next month."

"I hate to get my hopes up again."

"Come on Bones, it's me we're talkin' about here. We had Christine the first time we made love. This time was probably just some exception. Besides, didn't you have my stuff analysed years ago when you wanted to have my kid? My stuff's awesome, remember?"

"I don't think _awesome_ was the word I used to describe your sperm. And besides, that was a long time ago Booth. You've aged since then." Brennan said as she smoothed a hand up his thigh, as if comforting him for the fact that he had gotten older.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Bones. So you're saying it's my fault you're not pregnant."

"Technically it is, since your sperm is needed to fertilise my ovum. But it could be an issue with me as well."

"Really Bones? Look there's absolutely nothing wrong with us okay? We'll just have more sex and before you know it, boom! You'll be mama Bones again."

Brennan offered him a small sad smile.

"It could be this particular case. We're both emotionally invested in it. Emotions are known to interfere with a woman's menstrual cycle."

"Tell you what, it's the weekend tomorrow. What say we put this baby-making business and the case aside and we take the kids to the park? Spend some quality family time together."

Brennan smiled. "I'd like that. I'm sure the kids would be thrilled."

… …

The next day was Saturday and the Booth family packed a picnic to the park. Seated on the sand, Brennan watched as Booth pushed Christine on the swing.

"Higher Daddy!" Christine squealed as Booth laughed and gave the little girl another push. Seemingly still unsatisfied with the height her swing was reaching, Christine urged her father on. "Higher still!"

"Any higher and you'll be landing on the moon Sweetheart." Booth replied in a laugh.

Beside her Hank was shovelling sand into his toy truck. "Mama!" he handed Brennan his other shovel.

"I'd be happy to Hank."

Brennan was busy helping Hank build his sand castle when Booth approached with Christine perched on his shoulders.

"Can I help Mommy?" Christine asked as Booth lifted her off him and set her on her feet next to Brennan.

"This little project belongs to Hank."

"Can I help Hank?" Christine redirected her question to her little brother.

Hank nodded as he grabbed the shovel from Brennan and handed it to his sister.

"Looks like you're out of a job Mom." Booth laughed as he held out a hand to Brennan. She took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She dusted the sand off her jeans. Booth eagerly helped, letting his hands linger on her butt longer than necessary.

The couple moved to take a seat on a nearby bench, watching their children play. He wrapped an arm round Brennan's shoulders.

"Sometimes I still can't believe we made two such amazing children." Booth remarked.

"Yes, they're adorable." Brennan sighed. "I never knew I could love another human being so much."

As if he read her mind, Booth said, "We're gonna be okay. Before you know it, we'll be coming here with another little Booth."

"I admire your optimism"

"Hey, it's gonna happen. It might take some time but it will."

"Do I need to remind you that we're both aging?"

"Don't say it like that. It's not like we're shrivelled up and grey and needing walkers to get around." Booth flexed his biceps for effect. "Check out my guns, I'm still young and able."

"Your musculature has nothing to do with your ability to procreate Booth."

"Yeah but admit it, you love my body Bones."

"I do find your physicality extremely arousing. I've told you that before."

"You're hot too Bones." He whispered into her ear teasingly.

Brennan laughed. She couldn't help but be taken in by Booth's enthusiasm. She resolved they would try again once her period was over.

"What's so funny Mommy?" Christine asked as she ambled up to her parents.

"Daddy is." Brennan replied.

"He is." Christine giggled. "Come see what Hank and I made." She tugged at Brennan's hand.

Brennan turned her head to offer Booth a smile before allowing Christine to lead her to the sand. Booth watched, admiring his beautiful family. It was days like this that he was glad everything had worked out eventually between Brennan and himself.

The weekend would be over soon and he was determined to savor every moment with his loved ones. He knew once Monday came round, he would need to redirect his attention to Lindsey's murder, which still needed solving.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Don't worry, I didn't forget this story. Thanks again to everyone following this story. To those who reviewed thank yous to: kareneb,_** ** _50 Shades Of Booth, topaz270 (lol!), LoveShipper (true that), FaithinBones,_** ** _Monique Sampson (sounds like a plan),_** ** _554Laura, mendenbar_** ** _(haha!),_** ** _wentzer, jsboneslover (yeah I wished we could have watched little Hank grow up too),_** ** _Gatewatcher._**

The weekend over, Alex's case worker finally arranged for an interview with her at the Devon residence. It was at Booth insistence that Alex was not brought to the Hoover. He felt that she might reveal more to him in a non-threatening environment. Her case worker thought it was a good idea and arranged for the Devons to be out of the house during the interview. Since they didn't have a warrant to search the house, Booth brought Brennan along so she could help eyeball the residence and determine if the house could be their primary crime scene.

Alexis O'Brien was a sixteen-year-old with long, auburn hair and brown eyes. When Booth first set eyes on the teenager, he thought she looked a little like a younger version of Brennan.

"Thanks for talking to us Alex." Booth started the interview. "I'm FBI Special Agent Booth and this is Dr Temperance Brennan from the Jeffersonian.

"I hope you find Lindsey's killer." The teenager started in a small voice.

"So tell us more about Lindsey." Booth asked, beginning his questioning with something neutral to set her at ease. From the corner of his eye he watched as Brennan walked around the family room, exploring the house.

"She came to stay with us about three months ago. She was quiet at first. Everyone is."

"And you've been here what, three years now?" Booth asked.

"Yes. I'm a little too old to be adopted now I think. It doesn't matter just a couple more years and I can go to college and be on my own. I want to be a vet."

"Your grades are impressive, I'm sure you'll be able to achieve your dreams." Brennan offered her encouragement.

"Thank you. I hope so. I've been volunteering at a local vet clinic after school."

"What's it like at home? With the Devons?"

"Frank isn't around much. He works hard. But when he's home he tries to spend time with Tina and us. Tina doesn't work."

"And chores and stuff everything is… fair? They don't punish you for no reason?" Booth was careful to keep an eye on Brennan as he asked the question.

"I know what you mean. I'd come from another foster family. They used to punish us unfairly." Alex glanced at her case worker who nodded for her to continue. "I'm glad I got fostered with the Devons. They're a lot better than my previous foster family. Tina's supportive of me too. She encourages me to go to the library to study."

"I was in the foster system too." Brennan's admission surprised Booth.

"You were?" Alex asked surprised.

"Yes. I was in the system when I was about your age. Like you, I applied myself to rigorous study to achieve my goals. Your circumstances don't have to dictate the outcome of your life."

Alex smiled and seemed more relaxed. "I had to share a room with Lindsey. She didn't see the importance of studying like me."

"It must have caused conflict." Brennan stated.

"At first, but we figured a way to compromise."

"Do you happen to know where Lindsey's phone is?" Booth asked.

"Wasn't it with her?" Alex asked.

"No. I don't think it was."

"Do you know what happened to Lindsey?" He asked gently.

"No. She had run away before."

"And you didn't stop her?"

"I tried but she wouldn't listen."

"Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt her?"

"She spent a lot of time with her friends at the skate park. A couple of days before she disappeared, she told me she found a way to move on to a better life. I tried to tell her kids like us should make the best of what we're given. And once we're old enough, we can move on. I tried to tell her she'd only get in trouble if she ran again."

"Any idea what she meant? A better life?"

"She didn't tell me. I think she was afraid I'd tell Frank or Tina. Please don't tell them I kept this form them."

"We won't Alex." Brennan assured her. She handed Alex her name card. "The Jeffersonian has a program to develop young talent like you. You can call me if you're interested. Keep working hard and don't give up on your goals."

"Thank you, Dr Brennan."

As the couple drove away from the Devon residence, Booth reached for Brennan, squeezing her knee.

"That was pretty brave back there, telling Alex that you were in the foster system too."

"She reminded me a little of myself at that age."

Booth smiled. She had noticed the resemblance too. He was cautious, not wanting her to get hurt. "Remember we shouldn't get attached."

"I'm not. I merely wanted to encourage her. I read Alex's file. Her father abandoned her and her mother when she was three. She was raised by her mother who died from a drug overdose when she was ten. Given her circumstances, Alex is doing incredibly well."

"That was a nice thing you did for her, about the program at the Jeffersonian." He offered her a smile. "So, the stairs?"

"It's possible Lindsey fell or was pushed down that flight of stairs."

"Great, I'll get Caroline to get us a warrant."

… …

The next day Caroline Julian walked into Booth's office. "I've got the warrant you wanted Cherrie. You wouldn't believe the number of strings I had to pull. That wife of yours better be right."

"You know she is Caroline."

"So I hear you two got another little Booth on the way."

"What?! No, we don't. Who told you that? Aubrey?"

"That skinny partner of yours is loyal to a fault. He didn't say anything. Rumors fly. You're makin' lotsa trips to the lab, more than necessary. You only get like that when Dr Brennan's having your baby."

"That's bull. Can't I care about my wife?" Booth placed his hands on his hips. "Bones isn't pregnant okay?"

Caroline held up her hands in surrender. "Okay no need to get all riled up. I just love the thought of another cute little Booth, that's all."

"Right." Booth slid the warrant into the inner pocket of his jacket. "I'm going to get Aubrey then head to the lab… to get Bones, so that I can execute the warrant. Not, because Bones is having a baby."

… …

A search of the Devon household revealed blood at the foot of the stairs that was uncovered with Brennan's ALS flashlight. A sample was taken to determine if the blood belonged to Lindsey. Along with the blood evidence, Lindsey's missing cellphone was found hidden under a loose floorboard in the girls' bedroom. Alex had insisted that she didn't know it was there and suggested that Lindsey had hid it to prevent the Devons from limiting her phone usage.

It was a waiting game again. Angela needed time to analyse the contents of the phone and Dr Hayes needed time to analyse the blood sample. As such the couple were gifted a rare, early day home from work. The evening was spent making dinner and having a meal together as a family. Booth bathed Hank, allowing Brennan some time alone with Christine. After the kids were safely tucked in bed the couple retired early to their bedroom.

"I noticed you made ravioli tonight." Brennan said as she looked up from the bed.

"So you got the hint?" Booth having emerged from the shower stood over her, a towel slung low on his hips.

Brennan laughed. "You know you don't need to make ravioli to get me to have sex with you right?"

"I know. But I figured the last time we had Hank, it was one of those nights I made ravioli and we drank wine and danced."

"We haven't danced yet."

Booth laughed and pulled Brennan to her feet. "Dance with me?"

Brennan wrapped her arms around Booth's neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling the familiar smell of soap mixed with his distinctive Boothy scent. Booth circled his arms round her waist, pressing a kiss to her forehead. In the privacy of the sanctuary that was their bedroom, they swayed to imaginary music in their heads. It was at times like this that the world seemed to come to a standstill. In their little bubble that they had created to shield themselves from the horrors of their work, this was where the dynamic duo, Brennan and Booth came to recharge, recuperate and re-center. Two complete opposites who had built their lives around each other, they clung to one another as if the other was their life buoy in a stormy ocean.

"Is it working?" Booth whispered into her ear as Brennan giggled into his shoulder.

"I'm not exactly sure what you're asking, but I'm fairly certain you're aroused."

"How can I not be?"

Brennan couldn't detect anything other than a genuine love for her, shining in his eyes.

"I'm dancing to imaginary music with my beautiful wife."

Brennan's breath hitched in her throat at the reminder of the depth of his love for her. She cupped his face in her hands and brought her lips to his. He was indeed a fine specimen of man. _How was it that he only had eyes for her?_ They kissed languidly as she moved her hands to explore his well-toned body. Her hands slowly made their way down to the loosely slung towel covering his impressive manhood that was now screaming his interest in her. She tickled the dusting of hair below his belly button before dropping the towel to his feet.

"You're not naked yet." He moved to untie her robe and she soon was standing naked in their bedroom.

Booth loved her curves and he paused to allow his eyes to feast on her body. His fingers itched to touch and he reached for her as she kissed him again. He gently lowered her onto their bed. As they made love that night, both had thoughts of a little baby at the back of their minds.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Thank you list:_** ** _GalaxieGurl (maybe not so off base), dms517, LoveShipper, 50 Shades Of Booth, FaithinBones (definitely), Robin,_** ** _Gatewatcher_** ** _and other reviewers who did not leave their names. I appreciate the time and effort taken to review and leave me your thoughts._**

"Tell me about your relationship with Lindsey, Mrs Devon." Booth asked.

Seated in the interrogation room in the Hoover Building opposite Booth and Brennan, the petite Tina Devon replied, "Like I told you before. Lindsey just came to us. She kept to herself."

"Your husband mentioned she could be difficult."

"Yes, at first. She refused to help out with the chores, snuck out to skate."

"And she was duly punished I assume." Brennan stated. Booth winced mentally. He was beginning to think that he should have conducted this interview with Aubrey instead of Brennan.

"We took away her phone privileges. Took her skateboard. But we returned them back to her once she showed remorse."

"And these punishments, they never got out of hand?" Booth asked.

"Out of hand… I don't know what you mean."

"You know, beatings maybe, withholding food from her, locking her in the closet, stuff like that." From the corner of his eye he saw Brennan flinch and he wondered if she had experienced something like that before.

"We would never do such things to those girls."

"Your relationship with your husband. How is it?"

"It's good. We do have our fights like all married couples. But we love each other and the girls we foster."

"Must get really lonely, what with him on the road all the time." Booth suggested, hoping she would tell them what they already knew.

"I have Alex and Lindsey for company. When we couldn't have any kids of our own, it was Frank who suggested we foster. He thought the kids would provide me with some company and in turn we would provide them with the love and shelter they needed."

"And it's all worked out so far?"

"Yes. We've been fostering kids for almost seven years now."

"You're lying." Brennan stated. Unlike Booth she was more direct when it came to interrogating suspects.

"I'm not. You can check with the case workers, we've taken foster kids for almost seven years and we've had no complaints."

"That fact may be true but you're lying about your relationship with your husband." Booth opened the file on the table and spread out three photographs on the table top. The photographs showed Tina Devon in the throes of passion with a man that was clearly not her husband. He hoped that now that she had been caught in a lie, she would confess to other things as well, perhaps even the murder of Lindsey.

"These were found in Lindsey's phone." He added.

Tina's jaw dropped. "I didn't even know she took those photos."

"See here's what I think happened. Lindsey catches you cheating on your husband, threatens to tell Frank. You panic and push her down the stairs." Booth stares into Tina's eyes, trying to determine if she was guilty.

"No! I swear, I never knew. Lindsey never confronted me. I didn't even know she was home that day. I always invited Charlie over in the mornings when Frank was on the road and the girls were in school."

"Charlie is your lover?" Booth asked, pointing at the man in the photographs.

Tina nodded.

"So maybe Charlie did it, to hide it from your husband." Brennan proposed.

"No!" Tina objected.

"Lying to the FBI is a crime." Brennan pointed out.

"I love Frank. Charlie was just someone to help me with the days that Frank was away. It was all casual. Charlie knew that."

"Maybe he didn't. The blood found at the foot of your stairs belongs to Lindsey. We can prove that she was killed there." Booth added. "Maybe the both of you did it."

"I'm not saying another word. I want a lawyer." And with that the interview was effectively over.

… …

Back at the Jeffersonian, Brennan spent the next two days focusing her attention back on Lindsey's remains. She knew Booth needed physical evidence to make an arrest. Tina Devon had not confessed to the murder and although she did have the means and motive, without hard evidence, there was not much of a case for Caroline to prosecute. Together with Jessica, the two women often worked late into the night, trying to bring Lindsey's killer to justice.

It was late that night when Brennan pulled into her driveway. She had not intended to spend yet another late night at work, but she had been so engrossed she had lost track of time. Disappointed that she had missed her children's bedtime for a third night in a row and without much progress made on the case made her feel grumpier than she should.

When she opened her front door, the house was dark as she had expected. The children would be already asleep and Booth too, likely already asleep in their bed. She was pleasantly surprised when in the dim light she noticed Booth asleep on the couch in the family room, little Hank sprawled on his chest. With his feet propped up on the coffee table, Booth had one arm draped protectively over their son. Hank had grown but was still small enough to fit on his father's broad chest. Her heart swelled with love for the two men in her life. She watched them sleep for a moment, Hank seemingly rocked to sleep by the slow rise and fall of his father's chest. It was a picture Brennan would never want to forget and she catalogued the image in her mind. She didn't have the heart to wake them, but knew she should if she wanted to prevent Booth from waking up in the morning with a bad back. She approached the sleeping pair and gently smoothed her hand through Booth's hair.

"Booth."

He cracked open an eye, then two. Taking in a deep breath he gestured to Brennan to take the boy from him. Brennan gently lifted Hank, who still asleep seemed to instinctively know he was now in his mother's arms and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Booth stood gingerly, stretching and testing his back. He crooked a grin. "All good."

"If I'd left the both of you there till morning, you wouldn't have woken up all good."

"He wanted his Mommy." Booth explained. "You've been working hard on this case. The kids miss you. I miss you."

"I want to solve the case soon. We've been taking too long as it is."

"Sometimes we need a little patience."

Brennan rubbed Hank's back, her mood saddening. Unlike Lindsey, her son had his parents' love and care. "We owe Lindsey that much. To find her killer. She was just a child."

Booth sighed. She was letting the case get to her again. Or maybe it always had, just that she hid it well from him.

"Cases like this are tough on us. We will catch whoever did this. Just try not to let it get to you okay? You know I worry about you."

"I'm okay Booth."

Booth closed the distance between them, pulling both his wife and son into his embrace. He too wanted to solve this case soon. In his opinion, it had dragged on for too long. He had promised himself that he would find justice for their young victim. Brennan was right, they owed it to Lindsey to catch her killer, but not just for her, but for Brennan too.

… …

The Jeffersonian team spent the next couple of days pouring over evidence. Booth had brought in Tina Devon's lover for questioning but he had a solid alibi at the time Lindsey was killed, which ruled him out as a suspect.

The case caught a break when Hodgins rolled into Brennan's office one morning.

"Sorry this took some time Dr B, there was a lot of stuff to go through from the landfill. I analysed Lindsey's clothing and ran traces of what I found through the mass spec. I found some disinfectant. At first, I thought it was from the landfill, but I swabbed her cellphone and found traces of the very same disinfectant. It's a disinfectant commonly used in veterinary clinics."

Brennan's brain connected the dots and her heart sank. "I think I know who did it."

End

 ** _Stay with me, we're nearing the end of the story. Couple more chapters._**


	12. Chapter 12

**_GalaxieGurl_** ** _(thanks for your kind words, tried my best to make this episode-like, and like you I'm holding on to that little bit of hope about the show),_** ** _554Laura, FaithinBones_** ** _,_** ** _LoveShipper,_** ** _Monique Sampson,_** ** _Gatewatcher, mendenbar, thank you all for sharing your thoughts and reviewing. And to all others who are following and reading this story, thank you all too! Thanks for being patient and following this story, this chapter deals with what the title promises, Brennan's time in foster care._**

The mood was sombre in the FBI interrogation room. Brennan and Booth sat opposite Alexis and her case worker. It was one thing to have a young victim but to have the perpetrator just as young was double the heartache.

"Look, Alex, this would go a lot easier for you if you just told us the truth." Booth said gently.

"I already told you, I didn't kill Lindsey."

"We found traces of the same veterinary disinfectant on Lindsey's clothing and her cellphone. Lindsey was killed on a Wednesday. The same day of the week you volunteer there. A sample of disinfectant from that same clinic matches what we found on Lindsey and her cellphone." Brennan presented the facts as she usually did.

Alex was silent, her mouth set in a defiant line.

"Alex, we could just give the evidence to the prosecutor. But like I said, it would help if we heard your side of the story." Booth tried again, hoping to cajole the teenager onto cooperating.

"I didn't do it!" Alex insisted.

Brennan knew that Booth was right. They could hand over the evidence to Caroline and she would have enough to prosecute. If they could hear Alex's account, things could go easier for her.

"I'd like to speak with Alex alone. Please."

"Bones, what are you doing?" Booth whispered. This was his domain. It wasn't that he had something to prove but with a victim and suspect both as young as in their current case he knew he had to do everything by the book.

She turned to Booth, looking him straight in the eyes. "Trust me Booth."

Booth sighed. His hand that was resting on the interrogation table turned his sobriety chip over in his fingers over and over. His gut told him to trust his wife.

"Right. Legally, we can't interview a minor without an adult present. The case worker would have to stay."

Brennan nodded. He stood up to leave but glanced back at Brennan, giving her a slight nod towards the mirrored glass in the room, indicating that he would be watching from the other side.

"You sure about this?" Aubrey asked as Booth entered the next room where he had been watching the interview.

"I'm gonna trust Bones on this one. If things go south, I'll step in."

They turned their attention to the interrogation room as Brennan spoke.

"I was a lot like you, Alex. I told you before, I was in the foster system. My parents abandoned me." Brennan paused allowing Alex to take in what she just shared. "I remember what it was like. I was scared and alone. I thought it was my fault that they left me. My foster parents weren't exactly kind. It made me feel that nobody could ever love someone as defective as me. For a long time, I believed in that lie, until I met my husband and he made me see that someone could indeed love me."

Brennan flicked her eyes towards the one-way mirror, a gesture so small it was imperceptive to all except Booth. He quirked a smile, his heart touched by her admission.

"It's difficult being in foster care. You see the other kids in school with their parents, and you wonder what's wrong with you. You do everything your foster parents ask of you, but it's never good enough. My foster parents used to punish me. They would give me fair warning. Or at least I thought it was fair at the time, but now… I wouldn't do those things to my children. They once locked me in the trunk of a car for breaking the plates I was washing. Another time, I accidentally left the gate open, and the pet dog ran out onto the street. I retrieved it but I was locked in a closet for an entire day as punishment. At times, they would withhold food from me. Sometimes I wasn't given anything to eat for days except what they served in school for lunch. They used to tell me how useless I was, how I was so unlovable that even my own parents abandoned me." Brennan stopped talking as a tear began rolling down her cheek.

In the next room, Aubrey let out a soft, "Whoa." He turned to Booth. "I didn't know."

Booth's heart broke for all the woman he loved had to endure as she was growing up. "Neither did I." He replied, his eyes still fixed on Brennan. He blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall.

Alex was crying now. Brennan reached out and took Alex's hand in hers.

"It was me. It's my fault Lindsey is dead." Alex sobbed. "She hated the Devons, they didn't allow her to skate. But I didn't. I had foster parents who did bad things to me. Compared to them, the Devons were angels. They were genuinely nice people and they didn't hurt us. They were strict but that was okay."

Alex paused to try to control her breathing. "One day, Lindsey told me she had the proof to get us moved to another family. She said she came home early from school and found Tina cheating on Frank with another man. She had it all recorded on her phone. She was going to show it to her case worker. I didn't want to get moved to another family. I like it here. We fought for the phone, it slipped from her grasp, and she fell."

Alex started to cry harder. "I didn't mean to kill her… I just didn't want to be moved to another family!"

Brennan sat in the chair opposite Alex, her tears also falling freely now. Her heart broke for the teenager infront of her who reminded her of herself. She didn't utter a word, but sat holding Alex's hand.

In the next room, Aubrey blinked back his own tears. Booth took a breath, cleared his throat and sniffed. His eyes were red as he fought back tears. Both agents took a moment to compose themselves.

"Aubrey," Booth spoke, his voice hoarse. "About what Bones said in there…"

"Don't worry. I won't tell a soul."

"Thanks."

… …

That night back at home, Brennan and Booth were once again on their couch in the family room. They sat, side by side, enjoying each other's company after the kids were in bed as they customarily did. Both glad they had put this difficult case behind them.

"It was very brave of you today, what you told Alex."

"I'm sorry I never told you."

"That's okay."

"I really wanted to help her. I'm glad she opened up. She's going to be tried in a juvenile court, and I believe Caroline is going to ask for a lighter sentence. The outcomes might have been a lot worse for her if she hadn't told us what happened."

"It's really sad you know, it's like we lost two kids in this case, both Lindsey and Alex."

"There's still hope for Alex. Once she turns eighteen she can be released from the juvenile system and her records can be sealed. It would be unlikely that her future would be adversely affected by this. I also intend to keep in contact with her while she's incarcerated. She needs someone to mentor her and I intend to help her achieve her dream of becoming a veterinarian."

Booth smiled as he pulled Brennan to him. "You're an amazing woman Bones."

Instead of smiling, she buried her face in his shirt. "I'm not doing very well."

"Because you had to go there… to a part of your past you never wanted to remember."

She didn't reply but he could feel her start to sob. Slowly the sobs, although muffled by his shirt grew louder. Her body shook as she cried into his shoulder. Although he was glad she wasn't hiding her pain from him, his heart broke at the pain she was feeling and wished that he could take it all away. He never knew that she had it almost as bad as him growing up and he too began to tear. She had so much courage and had a lot more heart than people gave her credit for. He rubbed circles on her back, holding her tightly to him, allowing her to process the events of the day that had brought back the past.

When he felt her sobbing abate, he whispered soothingly into her ear. "It's okay Temperance. It's all over now. Nobody will ever treat you like that ever again. I'll make sure of it."

Brennan looked up at Booth. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about."

"You're upset too."

"I should be. I can't imagine… those things your foster parents did…"

"You had it worse."

Booth sighed. While what she said was true, he couldn't believe how anybody could treat her like that. "I never knew those things happened to you. I understand why you never want to remember them."

"I'm glad you know now Booth. It's a horrid but significant part of my past and I'm sorry I didn't feel strong enough despite your love and support to share it with you."

"Nah, it's okay. I understand. I'm just glad you got it all off your chest. No more nightmares for you." He ran his hand gently through her hair, smoothing it back in place. When Booth first heard her story in the interrogation room that day, he felt angry at her foster parents. Seeing her cry only made his anger grow even more.

"I can't believe your foster parents did and said those things to you. They had a beautiful, smart gem like you but they didn't realise it. You didn't deserve a thing they did and said to you. I'm glad I'm the one who managed to convince you that you're worth loving. Thank you for allowing me to show you that."

Booth had always understood that her past made her the way she was and with this new knowledge he understood her more. She was exquisite and she deserved to be loved and treasured. He resolved to make her feel loved and wanted by him, every moment of her life for as long as he lived.


	13. Chapter 13

**_Many thanks for all your kind words. The previous chapter had many re-writes just so I could be satisfied with it._** ** _LoveShipper, kareneb, 554Laura,_** **** ** _GalaxieGurl, .12, 50 Shades Of Booth, FaithinBones, loverofbones, gatewatcher_** ** _,_** ** _Monique Sampson,_** ** _jsboneslover,_** ** _mendenbar,_** ** _BonesfanJD._**

 ** _This was originally going to be two separate chapters but they were kinda short, so I've combined them into one last chapter._**

The weeks following the solving of the murder of Lindsey Sutton were filled with paperwork and preparation of the case for Caroline. With all that was needed to be done completed, it was then that Brennan had realised that her period was late. She was apprehensive, wanting to avoid the disappointment she had experienced before. She waited for more than a week to be sure before broaching the subject with Booth. Just like with Hank, she wanted to include Booth in the process of finding out.

Booth got home later than usual that night and by the time he got home both Christine and Hank were in bed. He was surprised to find the family room empty. It wasn't all that late and he had been expecting Brennan to be up waiting for him. He made his rounds through the house making sure the doors were locked and windows shut before checking on his children. Satisfied that both were soundly asleep he entered their bedroom.

Brennan was sitting on the armchair in their bedroom, reading one of her thick anthropology books.

"Hey." He greeted her as he entered.

"Hi." Brennan grinned at him. She quickly placed the book on their bed and rose to her feet, meeting him in the middle of their bedroom.

He wrapped his arms round her waist, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "You've gotten ready for bed early. Did you have something in mind?" Booth quirked his eyebrows cheekily.

"Maybe." She teased.

"I'm liking the sound of how things are gonna turn out." Booth kissed her again, this time letting his lips linger on hers, before breaking the kiss to tug at his tie. Brennan extracted herself from his arms and made her way to the dresser. He pulled the tie off his neck and started to unbutton his shirt. He watched as she pulled out a brown paper bag from the drawer, tossing it to Booth.

Catching the bag, he frowned. "What's this? Some weird sex toy from Timbuktu? Cos you know I'm down with trying out a lot of stuff with you but if it's some weird, painful tribal fetish thing…"

"Look inside."

Booth cautiously opened the bag and peered inside. It took a couple of seconds for his brain to register what he was looking at. He grinned as he pulled the box out of the paper bag.

"You're pregnant?"

"The box isn't opened Booth. I was waiting for you to come home so we could find out together."

"Then we should find out." Booth grinned handing the box to Brennan.

She took it from him and made her way to the bathroom, turning to Booth before she closed the door behind her. "Before you offer, it's just peeing on a stick so I won't be needing your help."

Booth sat on the edge of the bed, his left leg bouncing up and down nervously. Brennan quickly opened the bathroom door, placing the pregnancy test on the bedside table before sitting down next to Booth.

"I'm trying to figure out when this happened."

"We don't know for sure yet." Brennan pointed out.

Booth remembered what happened the last time. "Look if it's negative, we'll just keep trying. But I'm pretty sure it's gonna be positive."

"I'm rather optimistic that it is too."

"We hadn't had that much sex lately." Booth pointed out.

"We were busy making sure the paperwork for Lindsey's case were in order."

"Right. But you know, we just need that one time, to make a baby." He took her hand and squeezed. She leaned towards him and rested her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm round her.

"This is the longest three minutes of my life." He commented as he pulled her tightly towards him.

Brennan smiled. Soon, her phone beeped and she jumped up. Booth swallowed as she reached for the pregnancy test. She glanced at it and looked up at Booth, a wide smile on her face.

Booth didn't need to ask, he already knew the answer to his question. He broke into a smile as she threw her arms round his neck. They shared a passionate kiss.

"I'm pregnant." She whispered, her smile pressed into his neck.

"We're having a baby."

.

.

.

.

.

Epilogue

The soft autumn breeze blew, tousling Brennan's hair as she walked slowly towards the playground in the park. Beside her Booth had his hand at her elbow, as if needing to steady her. In front of them, Christine and Hank ran ahead of their parents heading for the slide.

"Christine, watch Hank!" Booth called after them.

The couple took a seat on the nearby bench. In her arms, the tiny bundle stirred.

"Hey look at that! He's awake."

Booth leaned towards Brennan, wrapping an arm round her shoulder. With a finger, he gently smoothed the soft skin of his one-month old son's cheek as the infant blinked his eyes.

"Hey Joey."

Brennan smiled. "He's got your eyes."

"And your nose." Booth touched the baby's nose.

"It's nice to finally be out of the house together as a family." Brennan stated as she gently rocked the baby in her arms.

"You needed to rest and recover. Joey's birth took a lot out of you."

"It was more difficult this time with him than with our two other children."

"I'm glad you agreed to have him at the hospital. I don't think I'd have survived if you had him at home like you did with Hank. I was really scared for you and Joey. You were in labor for a long time. And then there was the part where you got tired pushing him out and the doctor was saying the baby was in distress… I was scared out of my mind."

"But it all turned out well in the end. Joey and I are perfectly healthy now."

"Yeah. Thank God for that. Cos if anything happened to the both of you - "

"Nothing happened." Brennan patted Booth's thigh reassuringly. "But, I think I'm definitely done now. Having children I mean."

Booth laughed. "I'm still not snipping anything down there though."

"I wasn't going to ask you to."

In his mother's arms, Joseph Booth whimpered a little. "I've just fed and changed him. And I'm sure he's warm enough."

"I think he just wants to join his brother and sister." Booth reached for his son. Brennan pressed a kiss to little Joey's forehead, then gently passed the baby to Booth.

"Remember the time when we were here with Hank and Christine and we were a little upset cos we just found out you weren't pregnant?"

"Yes. And you assured me we would have another child eventually."

"And we did." Booth beamed at her. In his father's arms, the newest addition to the Booth family fussed.

"Okay okay. We're going for a walk now." Booth stood, walking with Joey in his arms towards his two other children.

Brennan smiled to herself as she watched her family. She knew it was impossible to empirically prove it but she felt complete, and she was happy.

\- End -

 ** _I wanted Christine to always be the only princess in the Booth family, so their third baby had to be a boy. Thank you from the bottom of my heart everyone for sticking with this story to the end. Like I said before, I've got more in store for you all so stay tuned._**


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